Charlie's Little Angels
by MadnessJones
Summary: In this We Bare Bears AU we see what would happen if the bears had found someone to be their father when they were cubs. Someone old, wise, and- okay, maybe not wise. Well, at least their dad can talk to snakes. That counts for something, right? Right?
1. That Thing In The Woods

_Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I've been binge watching We Bare Bears and I just felt so inspired to write a fic for the show. This idea is a study on what the bears would be like if they had been raised by the show's resident Bigfoot, Charlie. I got the idea after seeing an episode that showcased how Charlie is really old, which means he reasonably is old enough to be the bear bros' adopted father. That got me to thinking though, the bears are so connected to people and so dependent on technology. What would they be like if they were raised by a paranoid hermit like Charlie? Well, let's find out :)_

* * *

Chapter 1

That Thing In The Woods

 **Cubhood**

Baby Grizz, baby Panda, and their little brother had been traveling for days and found themselves lost in the forest somewhere in the north western United States. They were going through a rough patch at the moment. Their latest plan to get adopted had fallen flat when they were kicked out of a football stadium, the box they had been sleeping in had been stolen by a garbage truck, and Panda's allergies were acting up again. In other words...

"We're gonna die!" Panda whined up at the pine trees surrounding them.

"No we're not. Cheer up, Pan Pan," Grizz reassured his little brother, "We just gotta find some food. I mean, it's the woods! Food's gotta be growing around here somewhere. Maybe we could even find some potato chip trees around here or something."

"I don't think that exists," Panda sighed hopelessly, "Face it, this is the end of the line. We've practically been all over the world, but nobody wants us. Even if we find food, then what? We just have to *a...* have to *a-a-squeak!* Ugh...find food again."

Grizz laughed and their little brother silently giggled at how adorable Panda's sneeze sounded. Panda folded his arms and pouted, hating it when they called him cute or adorable or other names of that sort.

"So?" Grizz finally asked when he stopped laughing, "What's the big deal about finding food again? We do it all the time."

"Yeah, well I'm tired of it!" Panda exclaimed in exasperation, "Other kids have parents to tuck them in at night and feed them. Other kids don't have to work so hard to find a family. What's wrong with us? Why don't they see the love in our hearts? Why do we have to find our own food and our own boxes to sleep in?"

Little Bro folded his arms over his chest like Panda and squinted his eyes at Grizz; likewise demanding an answer.

"Hey guys, don't get so dramatic," Grizz replied with his arms held out placatingly, "I think it's a good thing we work so hard to find our family. That means we don't have to settle. We can find someone who will love us the way we deserve."

"But we'll _literally_ settle for anything," Panda countered, "I mean, remember the monster truck guy? Or the ball toss game that was rigged? Or _school_? No one should be treated like that, yet we get into these messes all the time! I give up, Grizz. We should just live in the woods, forever lost and eating dirt and rocks for the rest of our lives. We'll be just like that lizard trapper on TV."

"Well, the rugged life of an outdoorsman might work out for us," Grizz pondered.

Their little brother took two soda cans and fashioned them into an axe, ready to take on their world. He spun the axe and had a look in his eyes that challenged the forest to try to mess with him.

"Alright then, it's settled," Grizz announced, "From now on, we'll live in the great outdoors and forage for food like our forth-father, whoever he was."

"Oh, my nose is already so stuffy..." Panda moaned, "We're gonna die."

* * *

Day turned to night in the forest. The baby bears, having nowhere else to sleep, tried to make due by sleeping on a rock. Little Bro was happy with the dip in temperature since his polar bear hide was made for colder climates than where he had been lately. Panda on the other hand was shivering and fantasizing about having their box back.

"Hey guys, I can see the stars from in between the tree branches," Grizz told the others, "Aren't they beautiful?"

"I can't see anything," Panda complained, "All I see is that bird's nest with the mean bird that tried to poop on me."

"Oh," Grizz replied sheepishly, "Okay then. Do you see...the tree? Yeah, this is a good looking tree. Very sturdy. And full of...sharp leaves?"

"Pine needles," Panda corrected him, "They're called pine needles, and I don't like smelling them or stepping on them. I mean, I guess it could be worse. It's not the desert at least. I just wish it wasn't so cold."

"Little Bro doesn't mind," Grizz pointed out, "He's already asleep."

"Yeah, at least he's happy," Panda conceded, "I guess I can deal for one more night. Goodnight, Grizz."

"Goodnight, Pan Pan," Grizz replied cheerfully.

The two remaining bear cubs then tried to go to sleep just like their little brother. Owls were hooting, crickets were chirping, and every now and then there was a rustling of leaves. Panda shivered from fear as much as cold, and he could hear Grizz already snoring. Panda didn't know how much more he could take, but his brothers seemed so content that he didn't want to wake them just to whine about his own problems. He needed a way to get his mind off the cold and the scary outdoors.

"Think Panda, think..." Panda whispered to himself, "Think of things that make you happy. Okay, pretty heart power. That's neat. Um, also, the merry-go-round at the fair. Like that fair at the pier where we couldn't get adopted. No, that's not happy! _Think_ Panda! Happy...fresh oatmeal cookies from the oven. Just like a sweet old grandma would make. A warm home with fresh cookies and parents, and maybe even a big screen TV. Yeah, my bros and I would come home after playing all day and our mom and dad would be waiting for us with dinner and cookies. Our grandma and grandpa would come to visit too. Grizz would be out in the big backyard playing catch with our dad, Little Bro would help Mom cook dinner. I'd cuddle up in a blanket and listen to our grandparents tell us stories about the old country, wherever that is. Maybe the old country could be Japan..."

Panda then felt a strong gust of wind and huddled closer to his sleeping brothers. He could feel Little Bro shift uncomfortably and remembered that he liked to have space while he slept, so Panda went back to his own corner of the rock. The hard rock with no blanket and no cookies and no stories.

"This stinks," Panda spat as he looked out at the darkness ahead, "We're gonna get eaten and nobody's gonna care. I hate the woods."

Just then, there was the sound of more rustling in the bushes, and Panda gasped as he imagined the biggest hungriest lion jumping out to eat them. The rustling stopped, and Panda breathed a sigh of relief. The relief was short lived however when a big shadowy figure leapt out of the bushes and stopped right in front of the bear cubs!

"AHHH!" Panda screamed.

"AHHH!" The figure screamed back and huddled next to a tree, "D-Don't come any closer! I, uh, I know kung pow!"

"Isn't that a type of chicken?" Panda asked in confusion, "Wait, who are you? Are you a hungry lion come to eat us?"

"No, I'm a- wait, _us_?" The figure asked fearfully.

"Yeah, me and my bros," Panda replied, "Say, you're not scary at all, are you?"

"Uh... _yes_?" The creature replied unconvincingly.

Panda laughed, having not expected to find someone as scared and lost as he was out in the forest.

"Listen, I can't see too well in the dark, but you're not humans, right?" The creature asked timidly.

"No, we're bears," Panda replied casually, "I'm Panda, that's Grizz snoring, and over there is our little bro."

"Oh, so what's his name?" The creature asked.

"We don't know," Panda replied, "He doesn't talk yet, so we can't ask him. We thought about calling him something, but Grizz said if we got his name wrong it would hurt his feelings. He's really smart though."

"Cool," The creature replied, "So, where are your parents? You seem awfully young to be out here by yourselves."

"We don't have any yet, but we'll find them soon," Panda replied with forced optimism, "We just have to keep looking. For right now though, we're all alone in the world."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," The creature replied sadly, "I'm all alone too. I don't even have brothers to look out for me. Sometimes I make friends with woodland critters, but it usually don't last. For whatever reason nobody wants to be around ol' Charlie."

"Is that your name? Charlie?" Panda asked curiously.

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you, Panda," Charlie replied cordially, "I, uh, should probably let you get back to bed. It's pretty late. I'm just out grabbing some food from nearby campsites, but I gotta hit the sack pretty soon myself."

"Wait!" Panda called out as Charlie was about to walk away, "You know where food is? Show me!"

"Kiddo, you don't wanna find food where I get it," Charlie cautioned, "Humans are serious business. They're dangerous."

"Humans are dangerous? I highly doubt that," Panda refuted.

"Oh, but they are!" Charlie replied as he spread his hands on either side of his face to set the eerie mood, "Humans look for rare and unusual things, like me, and then they catch us. They lock us up in cages or dark isolated rooms. They keep us forever, and show us off to the whole world! They never let you leave, just like a prison. It's horrible, lonely, and yet somehow still loud."

"Wait, I think I know what you mean," Panda replied as realization dawned on him, "I used to be in a room that looked like a bamboo forest. I was all alone, except for my stuffed animal friend Panda 2, and they tried to catch me so I couldn't leave. If they kept me, then I never would've met my brothers. I never noticed it before. You're right. Humans _are_ mean. They neglect us, they lock us up, and they're even mean to each other. It's all so clear now."

"So you see why you can't scavenge from campsites like I do, right?" Charlie asked, "You're just too small and helpless. Why, I'd be beside myself if anything happened to a trio of adorable young bears like you."

"But then how are we supposed to get food?" Panda argued.

"Hm...Oh, I got an idea!" Charlie exclaimed, "I'll bring you some of the food I find at the camps. Just stay right here and I'll be back in a few hours. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Charlie!" Panda waved him off as Charlie wandered back into the shadows of the trees.

Panda then settled back into his corner of the rock, but he was too excited to sleep. They were going to get food hand delivered by a Charlie...whatever a Charlie was.

* * *

The next morning Grizz awoke with a yawn and smiled up at the yellow sunrise sky and the chirping birds. Their little brother awoke a minute later wearing the same blank look he usually wore, and Panda was still sitting up on the rock. Panda's fur was matted and frizzy from not sleeping or grooming himself.

"Hey guys, which way should we go today?" Grizz asked chipperly.

"We can't leave yet!" Panda exclaimed, "Charlie's gonna be back with food for us."

"Um, who's Charlie?" Grizz asked; puzzled.

"Charlie is a giant," Panda explained, "He showed up last night and talked to me. He said campers were dangerous and that we shouldn't get too close, and then he said he was gonna bring us some food. I hope he didn't forget."

"Whoa, cool! You met a giant?" Grizz asked in wonderment, "Ha ha, that is so awesome!"

Little Bro picked up his axe and looked warily around the forest, not trusting that a giant would be something friendly. If something went wrong, he would have to protect his older brothers.

"Yeah, I didn't get a good look because it was dark, but I could tell Charlie was nice," Panda explained, "He smelled bad, but to be fair so do we. Nobody smells good in a forest."

"We coulda handled the campers ourselves though," Grizz contested after thinking about it for a moment, "I mean, we're rough, we're tough, and we're cool. Nobody can mess with us!"

Little Bro nodded in affirmation.

"I know, but Charlie wanted to help," Panda replied, "I don't know about you, but I don't deny free food."

"Of course not," Grizz agreed, "Nobody denies free food. Those are literally the two best words in the world. Well, besides free chocolate. Oh wait, free is still one of the words. Eh, never mind. We'll wait for a little while. I hope this Charlie guy brings pizza."

With those words the three baby bears sat calmly on their rock and waited for the strange cryptid to come back with food for them.

...

Over an hour later Charlie still had not returned with food, and Little Bro turned to glare at his two older brothers.

"Yeah, I know," Grizz sighed, "I'm bored too. And hungry. I don't think he's coming, Pan Pan."

"Just great, betrayed again!" Panda pouted and furrowed his brows in anger, "Charlie promised he'd be back! I am so sick of adults lying to us!"

Just then, they heard a noise in the distance. At first the Bears thought it could've been a random animal rustling in the foliage, but then they heard "Yow! Yow! Yow! Stupid tree stump!" and knew it was a person. The bear cubs waited with bated breath to see what would come out of the bushes, and the thing that came out of the woods toward them was unlike any other creature they had ever seen. It was probably 9 or 10 feet tall with shaggy grey fur and a blue-grey mustache, and it had the biggest feet they had ever seen.

"Wow," Grizz whispered, but then in a louder voice exclaimed, "You didn't tell me Charlie was a big hairy jellybean with arms and legs!"

"Oh, I see your brothers are awake," Charlie said to Panda, "Hope y'all are doing okay. It took a while for those blasted campers to go to sleep. I did it though. I swiped the cooler. Hope there's something good in here this time. Last time it was just soda pop and gel packs."

"Ooh ooh ooh, gimme gimme!" Grizz shouted eagerly as he hopped up and down and tried to grab the cooler from the much taller Charlie.

"Woah, slow down! You'll get your share," Charlie placated the baby bear, "Okay, for this little ball of fire I have..." Charlie rooted in the cooler before he pulled out "A slice of pie. Don't know what flavor it is, but it has whipped topping."

"Alright! Yes!" Grizz exclaimed happily as he started scarfing down the treat, "Mmm, key lime."

"And for my new friend Panda I have..." Charlie pulled out another item, "A flashlight! Oh wait, no. Lemme try again. Um...Aha! A package of brownies."

"Oh boy, I hope these don't have nuts," Panda commented, "I'm allergic to nuts."

"Oh, well I don't think they do," Charlie told the cub after looking at the picture on the package, "Here you go, buddy."

Panda took his brownies, and then Little Bro looked up expectantly at the sasquatch. His little white paw gripped his makeshift axe tighter, though he was still very hungry, so he would reserve judgment to see what happened next.

"Hey there, little fella," Charlie bent down to get a better look at the young polar bear, "For you I have...a book? In a cooler? No no, this won't do."

Little Bro swiped the book from the hairy beast's hand but still looked at him demandingly; ready for breakfast.

"Um, okay," Charlie fumbled around the cooler for something, but all that was left was a bag of ice, "Sorry little guy, all I have left is ice, but I can find you some berries or something out in the forest. I'm really-"

Before Charlie could apologize again the little bear took the ice bag and hugged it. He then put the bag of ice on their rock and curled up on top of it, happy to finally be cold. Charlie couldn't help but smile at the cute scene before him. Grizz was licking whipped cream off his paws, Panda walked over and handed some of his brownies to Little Bro, and Little Bro contentedly ate the brownie bits while huddling into his ice bag. Charlie only wished the cooler had been full so they wouldn't go hungry.

"Listen guys, I can find more food if you want," Charlie offered.

"Really? That would be awesome!" Grizz exclaimed, "We should probably help you though. We're pretty good at finding things, especially me since I'm a world class dumpster diver."

"I don't know, kids," Charlie replied as he scratched his head, "I haven't noticed anything shady in this particular forest, but with humans hanging around you never know. Last time I took someone with me their foot got caught in a trap."

This earned Little Bro's attention. He got off his ice bag and held up his axe. Grizz and Panda saw the determination in his beady black eyes and knew just what he was thinking.

"But we can protect each other," Grizz voiced the opinion for all of them, "If we're in danger, and you're in danger, then we're safer sticking together."

"Together?" Charlie asked; touched, "Wow, nobody ever wants to go anywhere with me! Well, at least not since that raccoon ended up in the trap back in 1883."

" _1883_?" Grizz asked incredulously, "Wow! Are you old?"

"Um, yeah, I'm pretty old," Charlie shrugged.

"Like a bajillion years old?" Grizz pressed.

"I dunno," Charlie replied, "I'm not so good with time keeping."

"Wow, a bajillion years old..." Panda whispered in awe, "Are you a grandpa?"

"Unfortunately, no," Charlie replied ruefully, "I'm the only one of me there is. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be. When people ask what I am, I just say 'I'm Charlie', because I don't know anything more than that."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being a Charlie," Grizz told him, "Charlies are awesome. They're tall and old and know how to find food."

"Yeah, you're a great Charlie," Panda added.

Little Bro handed Charlie a bouquet of twigs to confirm what his brothers just said, and Charlie teared up as he took them. Looking down at this group of little bears with no one else in the world, Charlie felt an instant kinship with these wayward little cubs; so much like himself and yet so innocent in the ways of the world.

"Alright fellas, let's go find some food for all of us," Charlie cried out exuberantly, and the little bears cheered and followed him into the forest.

The bears felt like things were finally going their way, though they knew better than to get their hopes up. Everyone that had ever shown kindness to them had been taken out of their lives one way or another, so they knew this was likely a temporary arrangement.

Charlie felt so strong and confident when he was protecting something besides himself. These little bears were adorable, smart, and most importantly didn't think he was gross and weird. He was happy to have little woodland friends by his side again, but he knew this was only temporary. Everything good in his life had been taken away at some point, and there was no reason to believe this was any different.

Both sides were sure the fun wouldn't last, but both sides had also learned how to enjoy living in the moment.


	2. From Foraging To Family

Chapter 2

From Foraging To Family

 **Cubhood**

The first week of the baby bears staying with Charlie had been pretty fun. Together they gathered berries, stole picnic baskets and coolers, and sat under the stars telling stories. This had been the first time in ages Charlie had someone to talk to, and it had been the first time in a long while since the bear cubs had someone looking out for them. Overall it was pretty nice.

"...And the principal was actually a giant snarling ogre!" Grizz exclaimed with his arms spread out wide as everyone sat around the campfire, "We barely escaped with our lives! Oh, and everyone stampeded away. It was awesome!"

"Yeah, but school was lousy," Panda added as he rubbed his arm uncomfortably at the memory, "I don't know how human kids can stand it. I'm glad we're not with those stinky humans anymore."

Little Bro nodded in agreement before getting up to stretch.

"Yeah, about the only thing good about humans is their food, and we can get that right here," Charlie replied firmly, "Well, here and everywhere else I go. I never stay in one place too long. Why heck, I spent about fifty to a hundred years in Mexico! I would probably still be there, but everybody kept accusing me of eating goats. The nerve! Anyway, I like the woods better. Nice trees and more animals, like you guys."

"Yeah, the woods are pretty great," Grizz replied easily.

"Easy for you to say," Panda griped, "My allergies act up and I keep tripping on stuff because I can't see where I'm going without a nice paved road to guide me."

"His eyes are kinda bad," Grizz whispered to Charlie.

"Hey, they are not!" Panda yelled before throwing a pinecone at Grizz; which missed by a wide margin, "Take that!"

"It didn't hit me," Grizz announced casually.

"Oh..." Panda replied sheepishly, "Well, my eyes are still fine! It's normal to see things kinda blurry sometimes. Right, Charlie?"

"Hm...Oh, I got an idea!" Charlie announced after a few seconds, "Tomorrow we can go to the lake where the tourists go and swipe some glasses for Pan Pan."

"I don't need glasses! My eyes are fine!" Panda insisted, "Anyway, let's just get some sleep."

"Oh, sure thing," Charlie replied in an effort to smooth things over, "You kids sleep tight. I'll just stay up for a while and mind the fire. That way you can stay warm. Oh, and our littlest bear can sleep in the cooler we snagged earlier today. I think it's even big enough for your axe. Oh wait, should kids sleep with axes?"

Little Bro hugged his axe tight and glared at the sasquatch; daring him to try and take it. Fortunately it didn't come to that since Charlie didn't bring it up again.

"Anyway, goodnight little cubs," Charlie said nonchalantly as he poked the fire with a stick, "Sleep tight. Don't let the wolves bite."

"Wolves?" Panda yelped.

"It's just an expression, Pan Pan," Charlie laughed, "I won't let anything get you guys. Just relax and enjoy the stars as your heads fill with dreams."

"Cool, I'm gonna dream about hot dogs and Gatorade!" Grizz announced before settling into a dirt mound he made himself, "Goodnight bros, goodnight Charlie."

"Goodnight, Grizz," Charlie replied goodnaturedly.

"Hey Charlie?" Panda suddenly piped up, "You said you move around a lot. Does that mean you never found your family?"

"Yeah I...I guess it does," Charlie replied honestly; unsure what else to say.

"But don't you want a home?" Panda asked in concern, "Most adults have homes, though I know they don't all have them. Are you homeless because you don't have a family?"

"Now Pan Pan, home ain't about where you are," Charlie gently chided the little cub.

"It isn't?" Panda asked in confusion.

"No, home is a feeling," Charlie told him, "It's that feeling you get where you're safe and when you belong somewhere. It's kinda complicated with me, because I feel like I belong everywhere, and yet belong nowhere. I can go wherever I want and make it home, but I can never stay. It used to be easier to live in peace and hide, but then humans came along. Whenever they see something they take it, and then it belongs to them, which means it don't belong to me no more. I often dreamed of having a family of my own, because they say home is where the heart is, but my heart is always moving with the rest of me."

"I know that feeling, man," Panda sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Grizz added; unable to sleep, "Home is with my little bros, but we also want a home with parents and...I guess we just haven't found where we belong yet."

"Yeah, me neither, though I'm too old for parents," Charlie replied, "Maybe someday I'd like cousins. Oh wait, that requires parents too. Darn! I don't think I could ever have a mate though, since there aren't really any of my kind left. I guess that means no kids either. Wow, this conversation is depressing. Let's talk about something else, like that fabulous dinner your little brother made out of graham crackers and tuna fish. I didn't think those could taste so good together, but our little guy here is an artist!"

"Who says you can't have kids?" Grizz asked in offense, "I mean, if we can have parents that aren't blood related then you can have kids that aren't blood related either! You can just adopt."

"Adopt what?" Charlie asked in defeat, "Animals can't stand me being around for ten minutes, let alone the rest of their lives. Nobody would want me for a dad."

Just then Charlie felt a tugging at his back fur, and turned around from where he was sitting to see the little white bear cub looking up at him with his cute yet unreadable expression.

"What is it, little guy?" Charlie asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"

The baby polar bear of course couldn't say anything, rather he just crawled over Charlie's shoulders and landed in the cryptid's lap. The bear cub then took Charlie's wrist and forced Charlie's hand on the polar bear's head.

"Oh, you want me to scratch your head!" Charlie exclaimed in realization, "Alright then, I can do that. You need to go to sleep soon though, alright?"

Charlie then rubbed the baby bear's head, and Little Bro was so relaxed that he started to fall asleep in Charlie's lap. Charlie continued to tend the fire, and eventually the other two cubs went to sleep as well. He wondered if he should steal some beach towels from the lake so the Cubs could have blankets to sleep under. He also thought about how to get more ice for Little Guy, how to find glasses for Pan Pan, and he also needed to teach Grizz how to sniff a trail to avoid humans while-

And that was when it hit him. The little bear asleep in his lap didn't just want Charlie to scratch his head. He was trying to tell Charlie something. He thought Charlie would make a good dad. _Their_ dad.

Charlie stayed up all night mulling it over, the pros and the cons of the bears being raised by him. The biggest pro was that together they could protect each other and find more food. They could also keep each other company, and Charlie would finally have someone in his life to teach his ways to.

The down side was that Charlie wasn't sure if he was mature enough to handle such a big responsibility. After all, these cubs were still pretty young, and they each required special care. Grizz needed lots of attention and was a bit of a risk taker. Panda had allergies and poor eyesight. The youngest one couldn't talk yet, so if something went wrong he couldn't tell Charlie. Not to mention the whole needing ice to sleep thing.

"I must be crazy," Charlie whispered to himself, "There's no way. These kids want a house with technology and cheeseburgers. I can't give them that. All I can give them is a life on the run and lessons in how to speak squirrel. Face it Charlie, they don't want you. They want real parents with good taste and nobody hunting them down for sport. You should just get out of their lives. Just leave and-"

Before Charlie could finish his self depreciation he felt a soft but firm grip on his arm. He had forgotten all about the white bear cub asleep in his lap, and now the little guy was clinging to his arm as he slept. Charlie looked down and his heart melted at the sight of the slumbering little snowball.

Charlie then got up and walked over to the cooler. He set the sleeping polar bear back on his melting stack of ice and kissed him on the forehead. The cub looked so at peace, and Charlie turned around to see the other two likewise asleep in cute positions like their brother.

That was when he knew. Whether they rejected him or not, he had to ask them. He had to know whether they would accept him as their new father.

* * *

Grizz was the first to wake in the morning, followed by Panda and Little Bro. Grizz smiled up at the morning sky and the birds chirping over their heads, and Panda rubbed his sleepy eyes as he tried to get fully awake.

"Hey guys, what should we do today?" Grizz asked his brothers in a chipper tone of voice.

"Hm, I dunno," Panda replied, "It looks like Charlie is sleeping. Do you think he was up all night?"

Little Bro nodded his head in the affirmative.

"Oh...well, that's great," Grizz replied happily, "That means we can surprise him."

"Surprise him? How?" Panda asked.

"Easy," Grizz replied confidently, "He's been working hard to help us get food all this week, so today we can go get food for him. It'll be perfect! He'll be so happy."

Little Bro was ready to go, so he and Grizz started walking into the woods with a nervous baby Panda running to catch up with them.

"Um, I d-don't know if this is s-such a good idea," Panda stammered, "What if there are monsters in the woods? I mean, Charlie is basically a monster. What if the other monsters aren't as nice?"

"You heard Charlie. He's the only of him around here," Grizz assured his brother, "We'll be fine, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to my little bros."

"But what if there are man-eating tigers?" Panda posited.

"Who cares if there are? We aren't men. We're bears," Grizz pointed out, "Oh hey, there's a berry bush! Let's go pick some berries."

Grizz and Little Bro raced to the bush, and Panda followed at a more languid pace. Everything seemed peaceful, so Panda decided he was just worrying over nothing. Grizz filled his paws with red berries while Little Bro hacked off an entire branch of the bush with his axe and dragged the leaf and berry covered branch after himself. Panda smiled as he ate a couple berries, his allergies actually feeling better.

Once the cubs had enough berries they headed back towards camp. Charlie had been so nice to them, more so than the average stranger they met on the road, and they wanted to show him they appreciated it. For Little Bro this was merely a formality since he had been doing all the cooking and trash cleanup since they arrived in the forest anyway.

Before they made it to the camp the bear cubs heard a twig snap just beyond the trail they were walking on. Panda turned nervously to the left while Grizz looked to the right. They didn't see anything unusual. Then Little Bro pointed ahead of them and that was when they saw it: a battered and hungry wolf.

"AAAHHH!" Panda and Grizz screamed.

The wolf growled loudly and then sprinted to the chase them. The cubs dropped their berries and ran off further into the woods, hoping against all hope that the wolf wouldn't catch them and eat them.

* * *

"AAAHHH!"

Charlie awoke with a start at the sudden noise off in the distance. He rubbed his eyes and then looked around to see what was going on. What he _didn't_ see was far more important though.

"The bears!" Charlie exclaimed in horror as he realized the little cubs were gone.

He listened for a second and heard another loud scream, only it was much fainter than before. Charlie figured out the direction of the scream and took off running, stepping on berries along the way.

"Oh man, they must've gotten hungry when I overslept!" Charlie wailed in despair, "I have to save them! Oh man, this is all my fault!"

Charlie's long strides meant he was able to make great time as he ran. It didn't take long for Charlie to find the bears, as they had been cornered on the edge of a cliff by the hungry wolf. Fortunately there was only one wolf. Charlie couldn't handle the whole pack. The wolf and bears meanwhile didn't see Charlie closing in on them.

"H-Hey guys," Grizz whimpered to his brothers, "Do you think w-we should j-j-jump?"

"No way, that'll kill us!" Panda exclaimed.

"And the wolf won't?" Grizz snapped, "I'm sorry Pan Pan, I'm just scared. Well, it was nice knowing you guys..."

The wolf knew jumping to get the bears was stupid as it would fall off the cliff, so it slowly and menacingly approached its potential dinner instead. The cubs huddled, believing this was the end. Just then however, a familiar tall grey creature leapt over the wolf and grabbed the cubs; running off into the woods once he had them.

"Charlie!" Grizz cheered, "You came to save us!"

" _The wolf_!" Panda shrieked as he saw the wolf chasing them.

"Aw, poopy!" Charlie cursed as the wolf gained on them, "Okay guys, listen up. The wolf can't climb trees. You're gonna have to climb for your lives."

"Can't _you_ climb, too?" Grizz asked when he realized Charlie didn't include himself in that sentence.

"Not while holding three bears," Charlie explained, "So, I'm gonna distract the wolf. You guys stay together, and don't come down until you can't hear the wolf no more. Got that?"

"But Charlie-!" Panda protested.

"We got it," Grizz interrupted, "Just come back, okay?"

"I will," Charlie replied; his speech shaky as the running took his breath.

The wolf was nipping at the heels of the sasquatch as he raced through the dense forest. When he saw a tree with low branches he threw Grizz up in the air, and the grizzly bear grabbed a branch and started climbing.

" _Grizz_!" Panda screamed.

"He'll be fine, now stay sharp!" Charlie shouted as he came across the next tree.

Charlie then threw Panda up the next tree, and the little cub was barely able to hang on. Fortunately the wolf continued the chase rather than stop to try to eat Panda. The very next tree was where Charlie threw Little Bro, and the polar bear cub quickly climbed the tall pine tree.

With that Charlie ran off further into the woods with the wolf on his tail; the wolf none the wiser that the three little bears were safely hidden in the trees.

* * *

Many hours came and went with the bears up in their respective trees and no sign of Charlie. Fortunately the Cubs were close enough to each other that they could still hear each other.

"He's gone," Panda whimpered as the sky turned orange with the setting sun, "He left us. Charlie's never coming back."

"Sure he will, Pan Pan. He said he would," Grizz replied unconvincingly.

"Maybe he died," Panda theorized, "Maybe the wolf ate him. Maybe he meant to come back all along but couldn't. I guess that's better than him being a dingle."

"Don't talk like that!" Grizz shouted, "Charlie _will_ come back, you'll see. He has to. He's not like the others. He's different. He likes us..."

"Do you think he's right about the humans?" Panda asked timidly, "Do you think they hate us because we're not like them? I mean, even when they're nice it's not like parents are nice. They treat us more like pets. Well, pets or things that annoy them. Even if Charlie isn't coming back, at least he treated us like we were as good as him. I'll always remember that."

"Don't be so dramatic. He'll come back," Grizz assured his brother.

The two baby bears stopped their conversation when they heard stomping and rustling coming from their youngest brother's tree.

"Hey Little Bro, you okay over there?" Grizz asked in concern.

"He's pointing that way," Panda told Grizz; Panda being the only bear that could see both other cubs clearly from his tree, "Oh wait, I see it too! Is that...? It is! Charlie!"

Charlie walked slowly back to where he hid the bears. His grey fur was matted and he had a few cuts and scrapes, but he was alive and there was no wolf in sight. Whatever had happened, Charlie had survived.

The bears climbed down and cheered for Charlie, and the bigfoot scooped them all up in his tired arms and hugged them tight.

"You bears...okay?" Charlie panted; exhausted from the running and the fighting.

"Yeah, we're fine," Grizz replied contentedly.

"Sorry we wandered off," Panda apologized, "We just wanted to get you some berries to pay you back for helping us."

"Aww, you don't have to pay me back," Charlie replied as he sat down and let the bears back on the ground, "You've made life interesting for the past week. If anything I owe you. Speaking of which, there's something I wanna ask you."

"What is it, Charlie?" Grizz asked curiously.

"Well...I know this is an odd situation, and if you say no I'll understand," Charlie was quick to say, "Um...Would you...Do you...Can I adopt you guys?"

"What?" Panda asked, unsure he heard that right.

"Can I be your dad?" Charlie rephrased the question, "I know you can do better, and I know you deserve a nicer place to live than this, but I feel like we work real good together. We also all understand how it feels to feel unwanted and alone. The world may not understand us, but we understand each other. I can teach you how to live in virtually any environment so you won't have to rely on the humans and their handouts anymore. You would also give me more reason to get up in the morning, or afternoon, or whenever. So, what do you guys think? You're free to say no if you want."

Grizz looked at his brothers to see what they thought. Panda smiled shyly, and Little Bro gave a quick curt nod.

"You got yourself a deal," Grizz said, "Pop."


	3. Always Prepared

_Author's Notes: First of all I would like to thank guest reviewer **reader-san** for their lovely review. I'm glad you like this story so far, and oddly enough you had a lot of the same ideas I have for this story. I suppose great minds work alike, LOL! Of course to keep up with pacing Ranger Tabes won't be introduced immediately, but she will eventually be included :)_

 _Anyway, thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I know We Bare Bears isn't the most popular fandom on this site, but every view counts to me. I hope you like this chapter, and now onward with the story! :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

Always Prepared

 **Adulthood**

"Woohoo!" Grizz shouted as he cannonball'ed into a pristine lake.

Charlie and Panda watched from the sidelines to see how long it would take Grizz to pop his head out of the water this time. About thirty seconds later Grizz reemerged with a long light grey fish in his mouth.

"H, guhs! I cau' uh pk!" Grizz mumbled; his mouth full of struggling fish.

"That's great, Grizz!" Charlie shouted encouragingly as Grizz slowly made his way to the muddy shore, "You da bear!"

Panda just watched Grizz lumber his way back with his pike and ate a sprig of chickweed with the root still attached to the plant. Grizz spit out the fish and handed it to Charlie, who then ran off to give it to Ice Bear to cook for their dinner.

"Hey, no fair Pan Pan!" Grizz shouted when he saw what Panda was doing, "You're eating before everybody else!"

"It's not _eating_ Grizz, it's medicine," Panda defended, "It's for my allergies. Also, you know I wouldn't eat the fish anyway. I'm a vegetarian."

"Well you should still wait for us," Grizz huffed as he crossed his arms, "I'm sure Little Bro is making you something special too."

"Yeah, he always does," Panda said fondly, "Okay, Okay. I'll eat the rest of my chickweed after dinner. I can wait. We've only been in this national park for a few days anyway."

"Yeah, I gotta say this one is even more beautiful than the last place we stayed," Grizz declared before breathing in some mountain air, "Ahh, the smell of cedar."

"To be fair it isn't hard to beat our last home," Panda smiled wryly, "Considering it was a desert. Seriously, I will be so happy to not eat fried cactus anymore! If I never see another cactus it'll be too soon."

"Yeah, and that bone marrow stew was pretty disgusting too," Grizz said as he stuck his tongue out, "It looked like jello! Nothing that looks like jello should taste so salty! It messes with my head."

"Come on, let's just go see how everyone else is doing," Panda suggested as he started walking toward their campfire.

The two bears walked on in companionable silence through the underbrush and pond weeds. Grizz was in better shape and would often have to stop to wait for Panda, who struggled to keep up. Panda got thwacked in the face with a marsh reed and adjusted his round glasses to keep from losing them. It was the third pair he had owned in five years and he knew just how difficult they were to replace when broken. The family of woodland giants wouldn't go near a human campsite unless absolutely necessary.

When the duo made it back to their fire they saw Ice Bear swiftly chopping up the now cooked fish with two knives he had snagged a few years ago from a mugger they ran into at Yellowstone. Yeah, Yellowstone was an overcrowded tourist trap and the bears promised to never go back there again. Their dad sat near the fire and clapped whenever Ice Bear did a fancy trick move while slicing.

"Mm, that smells great!" Grizz moaned as he took his seat next to Charlie. Panda sat next to Grizz and watched as Ice Bear scooped up the fish onto flattened tree bark and then added some honey glaze over top for flavor. He handed Charlie and Grizz their fish, and then handed Panda his own plate.

"Ooh, pinecone rosettes with berry sauce. Nice!" Panda exclaimed when he saw his intricately crafted meal, "This'll go great with my chickweed."

"Berry sauce is made from blueberry and juniper," Ice Bear told him before getting his own fish plate and sitting down on the other side of Charlie, "Ice Bear made rope from plastic bottles today."

"That's great!" Charlie commented happily, "Now we can climb anywhere we want. Well, _I_ can. You guys are pretty good climbers already. What did you do today, Pan Pan?"

"I found the perfect piece of maple wood for my new art project!" Panda said excitedly, "This time I'm going for a 3 dimensional piece rather than my usual flat carvings. Oh, Little Bro! I was wondering if you could make me a new knife when you get a chance. I need something very fine and sharp for things like hair and whiskers."

"Ice Bear is on it," Ice Bear replied stoically.

"Hey Panda, what ever happened to that Coke doll you made that looked like a ladybug?" Grizz asked; his mouth full of honey fish.

"It's called a _Kokeshi_ doll, and I gave it to my raccoon friend back in Oklahoma," Panda replied, "So Dad, how long do you think we should stay here? This place is pretty secluded. I don't even know where we are."

"Uh, I figure another few weeks, maybe a couple months if nobody bothers us," Charlie guesstimated, "Yeah, it is pretty nice here. Lots of fish and wetlands."

"Also beehives," Ice Bear pointed out in his quick monotone voice.

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Grizz declared, "Deep enough to swim, and calm enough to not drown. I could stay here forever!"

"Yeah, it has a pretty decent variety of berries too," Panda commented with a small smile.

"You know it!" Grizz agreed enthusiastically, "Well anyway, my food's gone. I think I'll go explore some more. Anybody want me to bring back anything?"

"Ice Bear needs more materials for supplies," Ice Bear replied, "No candy wrappers."

"Yeah, if you see any peeling trees let us know," Panda added, "We have enough plates but I could use some more canvases for my drawings. Oh, and if you see any pieces of charcoal lying around-!"

"Yeah, I know. I got your back, Pan Pan," Grizz replied goodnaturedly, "You need anything, Pop?"

"Not really," Charlie replied, "I just need some shut eye. We've been doing a lot of walking lately, and my dogs are barking! Goodnight, fellas."

"Goodnight? There's still a little daylight left!" Grizz whined.

"Don't bother him, Grizz!" Panda reprimanded, "If Dad wants to sleep it's okay. Goodnight Dad."

"Goodnight, Pan Pan," Charlie replied drowsily as he laid his body down on the soft mossy ground, "Goodnight Grizz, goodnight Icy."

"Night, Pop," Grizz reluctantly said.

"Pleasant dreams, Father," Ice Bear replied formally as he cleared away the mess from their dinner.

As Charlie drifted off Grizz took off into the woods. He wasn't about to waste the precious daylight they had left. Panda meanwhile helped Ice Bear collect their tree bark dishes so they could take them into the water and wash them. They would likely also drink some water while they were down there.

* * *

Grizz was power walking through the forest with a confident smile and an attitude that said he was ready for whatever came his way. This was just the kind of woods that Grizz preferred. No trails, no hiding, no scaring campers for their supplies, and no strange noises. It was just the sounds of birds, bugs, and the occasional scratching from a forest animal. Just the kinds of things Grizz could handle.

"Hmm, I wonder if those squirrels we met the other day wanna hang out," Grizz thought aloud as he stopped to look around.

Out of all the bear brothers Grizz was the most likely to make friends with the local fauna. He loved making new friends, and it seemed like everywhere they went there were new friends to meet. Charlie shared Grizz's enthusiasm, so they would often be the ones to introduce the rest of the family. Grizz still remembered that one family of wild boars that helped them find the best fruit trees in exchange for a cut. He and his pop had been the only ones that even wanted to talk to them since Panda thought they looked scary and Ice Bear didn't trust them, but in the end it paid off.

Grizz stepped on something thin that crumpled under his foot, and he stopped to see what it was. It was a piece of litter paper that had a picture of a missing child on the front. The part that was important to Grizz however was that the paper was blank on the back.

"Aha! Panda will love this!" Grizz declared, "It's not often he gets to draw with real paper. I'd better get this back to our spot."

Grizz was just about to go back to their plot of land to give Panda the paper when he heard an unfamiliar sound. It sounded like something squeaky was breathing irregularly, so Grizz stood very still to try to figure out what it was. After a few seconds Grizz recognized the noise as the sound of a human child crying. Grizz was used to hearing humans scream in fear of him and his brothers, but he hadn't heard the soft sound of a pitiful cry since he was a cub. He had to check this out.

Grizz followed the sound deeper into the woods. He didn't know what a human would be doing out here. There was no trail for miles, and no campsite. If a human came here they would probably just get hopelessly lost. Then Grizz realized whoever it was probably _was_ lost.

He finally found a tiny human huddled next to a tree. It appeared to be Caucasian with short blonde hair. Grizz thought it was a girl, but he couldn't tell for sure. Either way the kid was dirty and so absorbed in misery that Grizz's presence went unnoticed. This kid also looked injured, as it was wearing gauze over one hand and an eyepatch. Grizz smiled, since he thought the kid looked like a pirate.

"Hey, kid!" Grizz announced himself loudly in hopes of not scaring the child.

His tactic had the opposite effect however as the child was startled upright. When the kid saw Grizz, it only made the panic worse.

"Ah, a bear!" The girl screeched; by now Grizz was sure it was a girl, "Stay back, Bear! I'm warning you!"

The kid then raised her arms as high as she could and howled loudly to try to intimidate Grizz.

"Uh...What are you doing?" Grizz asked in befuddlement.

"I'm making myself bigger to scare you away. _Rawr_!" The child exclaimed fiercely despite being a sixth the size of Grizz.

"Heh heh, good luck!" Grizz scoffed, "I'm a bear, not a baby deer. I already know I'm the baddest thing in this forest. You can't scare me. Now, just run on home to your mommy and your barbecue grill, and I'll forget this ever happened."

"I...I can't," The kid replied as she struggled to not choke up, "I got lost from my troupe. I've been here for three days all by myself. I tried to ration my provisions, but I only brought enough for one day. I ran out of food and water some time ago, and the cold nights are starting to make me sick. Listen, if you're gonna eat me, just do it quickly, okay? The only weapon I have is a pocket knife, and that won't help me against something as big and fat as you."

"Hey, I am not fat!" Grizz snapped in offense, "Also, uh...what's a troupe?"

"You know, the Poppy Rangers," The girl replied proudly, "We're the best junior survivalists in all of California! I've been in the Poppy Rangers for almost a year now, and my little sister joined recently too. By the way, my name's Wallace."

"Some survivalist. It's been three days and you're already a wreck," Grizz snorted, "You can't survive out here alone. You humans don't belong here. This is nature, my domain. You belong in a school or a restaurant or something."

"Hey, I can too survive out here!" Wallace contested, "Ranger Tabes lives out in the woods at the ranger station, and she knows the place like the back of her hand. I'm gonna be just like her someday."

"Not if you stay out here and freeze," Grizz pointed out.

Wallace growled and was about to argue the point some more, but then she started sneezing uncontrollably. Grizz watched her tiny body lurch as she sneezed, and then watched as she shivered from the cold when she had recovered. He felt bad about being a dingle to her, even if she was from the species that kept taking away land from him and his family. She was just a kid after all, and she was doing very well for someone in her circumstances.

Grizz sat down near the tree and picked up Wallace, and she yelped and struggled to break free from the bear's grasp; believing he was going to eat her. Grizz hugged her tight to let her get warm by his fur, and Wallace let herself relax when she realized what he was doing.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay," Grizz soothed the child, "I know things look rough now, but tomorrow is another day. We'll figure out where the nearest city is, and you'll be back in civilization in no time. Just get some sleep tonight. I'll be right here."

"Why are you helping me?" Wallace asked suspiciously, "I thought you didn't like me."

"My family and I have had some bad experiences with humans," Grizz explained, "But no one deserves to be lost and abandoned with no food. Yikes, I think no food is a fate worse than death! I've been in your shoes though, Wallace. Young, lost, hungry, tired, and yet knowing that the only way for things to get better is to not give up hope. Well things _are_ gonna get better, you'll see. We'll get you home to your parents and little sister in no time. For now though, you should rest. My fur will keep you warm for now. Tomorrow I'll show you where I catch fish and pick berries. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Wallace replied, her voice already getting sleeping, "Thanks, bear guy."

Wallace feel asleep within minutes, and Grizz realized his arms were going to start cramping up on him from holding the human the way he was. He didn't dare move though, lest he disturb the girl. He just hoped his pop and his brothers didn't come looking for him tonight. Seeing a bear was one thing, but Grizz couldn't let anyone find out about their dad. Even one credible human could send down a firestorm of people ready to take Charlie away forever, and Grizz couldn't let that happen.

* * *

Grizz awoke with a start in the dead of night. According to the position of the moon it was somewhere between 1:00 or 2:00 AM. He had fallen asleep sitting up and his lower back hurt from the constricted blood flow. He looked down to see that Wallace was still asleep in his arms. Then he heard a noise, and realized that was what woke him up. It was shouting, soft and in the distance, but the words were clear as day.

"Wallace!"

"Wallace! Where are you?"

Grizz gasped when he realized how many humans were closing in on his position. He could make out the pinpricks of their flashlights, and knew that he couldn't let them wander too deep into the woods lest they find his family.

"Wallace?" Grizz whispered, "Wallace, wake up."

"Huh?" Wallace grunted drowsily as she opened her eye.

"Wallace, people are looking for you," Grizz informed her, "Go to them."

"But...what if they're bad people?" Wallace asked, "What if they wanna kidnap me?"

"By calling you by name? That's ridiculous," Grizz reasoned, "Come on kiddo, just get up. You can go home now. You did it, Wallace. You survived."

"I...I guess I did," Wallace replied softly in realization, "Thanks for everything, bear guy. You rock."

With those words Wallace followed the light of the flashlights to her saviors. Grizz hung back long enough to hear the cheers of joy as the people congregated around the no longer missing child. He could barely make out silhouettes as they hugged each other and one even lifted Wallace onto their shoulders. When they started heading away from him, Grizz decided to head back home.

...

Grizz returned to his part of the forest around 3:00 AM. He was exhausted and ready to hit the stack. Near the lake slept his brothers and dad all together in a pile to keep each other warm. Grizz could hear his pop snoring, Panda wheezing, and Ice Bear muttering in his sleep incoherently. Ice Bear's feet were touching the water of course so that he could keep part of his body cool. He only muttered like that when he didn't get an ice bag to sleep with.

Grizz neatly unfurled the blank paper and tried to flatten it out so Panda could use it for drawing. When Grizz turned the paper over absentmindedly he noticed once again the picture of the missing child, and realized that it was a picture of Wallace. Grizz smiled at the photo of the new friend he'd made and decided he would keep this one. He only hoped Panda didn't mind.

Grizz took his place on top of the sleeping stack and yawned before snuggling his face into Panda's back for warmth. Panda was stirred by this action and barely opened one eye to regard his older brother.

"Hey Grizz," Panda rasped out drowsily, "Where have you been? You were gone all night. We almost split up to search for you."

"I was just out scavenging," Grizz replied vaguely, "Go back to sleep, Pan Pan."


End file.
